{{short description|American art director}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2019}} {{Infobox person | image = Blood on the Sun (1945) 2.jpg | name = Wiard Ihnen | birth_date = {{Birth date|1897|8|5}}<ref name=Age/> | birth_place = [[Jersey City]], New Jersey, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|1979|6|22|1897|8|5}} | death_place = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S. | resting_place = [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)]] | education = {{hlist|[[Columbia University]]|[[École des Beaux-Arts de Paris]]}} | occupation = Art director | yearsactive = 1919&ndash;1960 | spouse = {{marriage|[[Edith Head]]|1940|1979|reason=died}} }}

'''Wiard Boppo "Bill" Ihnen''' (August 5, 1897<ref name=Age>Note: His obituary in the ''Los Angeles Times'' suggests he was born in approximately 1888.</ref> &ndash; June 22, 1979) was an American [[Art director#In film|art director]]. He was active from 1919 to 1960 and won [[Academy Awards]] for [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]] for ''[[Wilson (1944 film)|Wilson]]'' (1944) and ''[[Blood on the Sun]]'' (1945). He was married to [[Edith Head]].

==Early years== Ihnen was born in [[Jersey City, New Jersey]]. His age and year of birth are uncertain. While some sources indicate he was born in 1897, his obituary in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported his age as 91, indicating that he was born in approximately 1888.<ref name=obit/>

His father, Henry S. Ihnen, was an architect and painter. Ihnen attended public schools in [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]].<ref name=Passaic/> He worked for a time as the assistant to a prominent New York architect and studied architecture at [[Columbia University]]. He also studied at [[École des Beaux-Arts de Paris]], spent a year at the art centers of Spain and France, and studied color and technique at the University of Mexico.<ref name=Passaic/><ref name=JW/>

==Art direction== Ihnen first worked in the motion picture business in approximately 1919 at [[Paramount Studios]] on [[Long Island]].<ref name=Passaic/><ref name=JW>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ruRZAAAAMAAJ&q=Wiard+Boppo+Ihnen|title=Just watch!: Sternberg, Paramount and America|first=Peter J.|last=Baxter|date=November 13, 1993|publisher=British Film Institute|isbn=9780851703862|via=Google Books}}</ref> After several years with Paramount in New York, he become an art director at Paramount's Hollywood studios.<ref name=Passaic>{{cite news|title=Wirad B. Ihnen Leaves for the Coast After Visit Here|newspaper=The Herald-News|date=August 14, 1935|page=12|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59336257/wiard-ihnen/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

One of his earliest works as an art director was the [[Josef von Sternberg]]'s 1932 film, ''[[Blonde Venus]]''. He drew attention for his design of "fantastically exotic" African nightclub in the film.<ref>{{cite web|title=Art Director: The Vision of Wiard Ihnen|date=February 24, 2019|publisher=Backstory: New Looks at Classic Films|access-date=September 15, 2020|url=https://backstoryclassic.com/2019/02/art-director-the-vision-of-wiard-ihnen/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007203403/https://backstoryclassic.com/2019/02/art-director-the-vision-of-wiard-ihnen/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=October 7, 2020}}</ref>

Other early art directing credits include the [[Marx Brothers]]' ''[[Duck Soup (1933 film)|Duck Soup]]'' (1933) and a pair of [[Mae West]] comedies: ''[[Go West, Young Man (1936 film)|Go West, Young Man]]'' (1936) and ''[[Every Day's a Holiday (1937 film)|Every Day's a Holiday]]''. Ihnen received his first [[Academy Awards]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]] on ''Every Day's a Holiday''.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 10th Academy Awards 1938|work=Oscars.org|access-date=September 15, 2020|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1938}}</ref> He also worked as the associate art director on [[John Ford]]'s ''[[Stagecoach (1939 film)|Stagecoach]]'' which won the Academy Award for art direction for [[Alexander Toluboff]].

During the 1940s, Ihnen twice won the Academy Award for art direction, for the biographical film ''[[Wilson (1944 film)|Wilson]]'' (1944) and for ''[[Blood on the Sun]]'' (1945), a wartime film about a Japanese plot to take over the world.<ref name="Oscars1945">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1945 |title=The 17th Academy Awards (1945) Nominees and Winners |access-date=August 14, 2011|work=oscars.org| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110706093748/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/17th-winners.html| archive-date=July 6, 2011 <!--Added by DASHBot-->}}</ref><ref name="Oscars1946">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1946 |title=The 18th Academy Awards (1946) Nominees and Winners |access-date=August 16, 2011|work=oscars.org| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110706093754/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/18th-winners.html| archive-date=July 6, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>

Ihnen continued as an art director until 1960. His later works include the film noir works ''[[Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (film)|Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye]]'' (1950) and ''[[I, the Jury (1953 film)|I, the Jury]]'' (1953), [[Fritz Lang]]'s ''[[Rancho Notorious]]'' (1952), the aviation adventure film ''[[Top of the World (1955 film)|Top of the World]]'' (1955), and the biographical ''[[The Gallant Hours]]'' (1960).

==Personal life and later years== In 1940, Ihnen was married in Las Vegas to Hollywood dress designer [[Edith Head]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Film Fashions Expert Married|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|author=Hedda Hopper|date=September 30, 1940|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59338450/film-fashions-expert-married/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Ihnen died from cancer in 1979.<ref name=obit>{{cite news|title=Wiard Ihnen Dies; Won Oscars for Movie Art Direction Work|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=June 26, 1979|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59324115/obituary-for-wiard-b-ihnen-aged-91/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> He is interred at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in [[Glendale, California]], next to his wife.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8bOJCgAAQBAJ|title=Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory|last=Ellenberger|first=Allan R.|date=May 1, 2001|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786409839|language=en}}</ref>

==Filmography== {{Div col|colwidth=25em}} *''[[The Dance of Life (film)|The Dance of Life]]'' (1929, set design)<ref>{{cite news|title=Nancy Carroll and Hal Skelly Star In Love Melodrama at the Regen|newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen|date=November 16, 1929|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59336581/the-dance-of-life/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> *''[[Blonde Venus]]'' (1932, art director) *''[[Madame Butterfly (1932 film)|Madame Butterfly]]'' (1932) *''[[Duck Soup (1933 film)|Duck Soup]]'' (1933, art director)<ref>{{cite web|title=Duck Soup|publisher=American Film Institute|access-date=September 14, 2020|url=http://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/6922?cxt=ymal}}</ref> * ''[[Terror Aboard]]'' (1933, art director) * ''[[Good Dame]]'' (1934, art director) * ''[[Thirty-Day Princess]]'' (1934, art director) * ''[[The Trumpet Blows]]'' (1934, art director) * ''[[Becky Sharp (film)|Becky Sharp]]'' (1935)<ref name=Passaic/> * ''[[Dancing Pirate]]'' (1936, art director) * ''[[Go West, Young Man (1936 film)|Go West, Young Man]]'' (1936, art director) * ''[[Mind Your Own Business (film)|Mind Your Own Business]]'' (1936, art director) *''[[Every Day's a Holiday (1937 film)|Every Day's a Holiday]]'' (1937, art director)<ref>{{cite web|title=Every Day's a Holiday|publisher=TCM Classic Movies|access-date=September 14, 2020|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/74255/every-days-a-holiday#credits|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017124900/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/74255/every-days-a-holiday#credits|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 17, 2020}}</ref> * ''[[The Girl from Scotland Yard]]'' (1937, art director) * ''[[Love on Toast]]'' (1937, art director) * ''[[Midnight Madonna]]'' (1937, art director) * ''[[On Such a Night (1937 film)|On Such a Night]]'' (1937, art director) * ''[[Outcast (1937 film)|Outcast]]'' (1937 art director) * ''[[Doctor Rhythm]]'' (1938, art director) * ''[[Hollywood Cavalcade]]'' (1939, art director) * ''[[The Return of the Cisco Kid]]'' (1939, art director) * ''[[Stagecoach (1939 film)|Stagecoach]]'' (1939, associate art director) * ''[[The Blue Bird (1940 film)|The Blue Bird]]'' (1940, art director) * ''[[Johnny Apollo (film)|Johnny Apollo]]'' (1940, art director) * ''[[Maryland (1940 film)|Maryland]]'' (1940, art director) * ''[[The Return of Frank James]]'' (1940, art director) * ''[[Youth Will Be Served]]'' (1940, art director) * ''[[Confirm or Deny]]'' (1941, art director) * ''[[Hudson's Bay (film)|Hudson's Bay]]'' (1941, art director) * ''[[Man Hunt (1941 film)|Man Hunt]]'' (1941, art director) * ''[[Moon Over Miami (film)|Moon Over Miami]]'' (1941, art director) * ''[[Remember the Day]]'' (1941, art director) * ''[[Tall, Dark and Handsome (film)|Tall, Dark and Handsome]]'' (1941, art director) * ''[[Iceland (film)|Iceland]]'' (1942, art director) * ''[[The Magnificent Dope]]'' (1942, art director) * ''[[Roxie Hart (film)|Roxie Hart]]'' (1942, art director) * ''[[Secret Agent of Japan]]'' (1942, art director) * ''[[China Girl (1942 film)|China Girl]]'' (1943, art director) * ''[[Crash Dive]]'' (1943, art director) * ''[[Jane Eyre (1943 film)|Jane Eyre]]'' (1944, art director) *''[[Wilson (1944 film)|Wilson]]'' (1944, art director)<ref>{{cite web|title=Wilson|publisher=TCM Classic Movies|access-date=September 14, 2020|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/95931/wilson|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902143709/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/95931/Wilson/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 2, 2011}}</ref> * ''[[Along Came Jones (film)|Along Came Jones]]'' (1945, production design) * ''[[Blood on the Sun]]'' (1945, production design)<ref>{{cite web|title=Blood on the Sun|publisher=TCM Classic Movies|access-date=September 14, 2020|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/69140/blood-on-the-sun|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722181648/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/69140/Blood-on-the-Sun/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 22, 2011}}</ref> * ''[[It's a Pleasure (film)|It's a Pleasure]]'' (1945, art director) * ''[[Tomorrow Is Forever]]'' (1946, production design) * ''[[The Time of Your Life (film)|The Time of Your Life]]'' (1948, production design) * ''[[Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (film)|Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye]]'' (1950, production design) * ''[[Only the Valiant]]'' (1951, production design) * ''[[Rancho Notorious]]'' (1952, production design) * ''[[I, the Jury (1953 film)|I, the Jury]]'' (1953, art director) * ''[[A Lion Is in the Streets]]'' (1953, production design) * ''[[War Paint (1953 film)|War Paint]]'' (1953, art director) * ''[[This Is My Love]]'' (1954, production design) * ''[[Crashout]]'' (1955, set design) * ''[[The Indian Fighter]]'' (1955, art director) * ''[[Top of the World (1955 film)|Top of the World]]'' (1955, art director) * ''[[The King and Four Queens]]'' (1956, production design) * ''[[The Gallant Hours]]'' (1960, art director) {{Div col end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|407311}} *{{Find a Grave|12730}} *{{MHL catalog|66600}}

{{Academy Award Best Production Design}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ihnen, Wiard}} [[Category:1897 births]] [[Category:1979 deaths]] [[Category:American art directors]] [[Category:Artists from Jersey City, New Jersey]] [[Category:Best Production Design Academy Award winners]] [[Category:Deaths from cancer in California]] [[Category:Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation alumni]] [[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)]] [[Category:20th-century American people]]